The recent passing of Joseph Nye and Richard Armitage marks the end of an era in U.S.-Japan relations.
As individuals, they could not have been more different — Nye, the Harvard professor and Democratic architect of “soft power,” and Armitage, the straight-talking U.S. Navy veteran and Republican strategist. And yet together, they represented the ideal bipartisan alignment that underpinned a golden age of American engagement with Japan.
For decades, they helped shape a vision of U.S.-Japan ties grounded in shared values, strategic trust and mutual respect. They were not only scholars or statesmen — they were Japan hands in the truest sense: people who understood that the U.S.-Japan alliance is not just a bilateral relationship but a cornerstone of global order.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.